A class of 16 product and interaction design masters students was asked to design an urban ecology tool, equipment, place, or experience, that would enhance the interdependence of all life in practical ways.
These activities are why I remain hopeful.
Our starting point is that agriculture and food are not just about production and consumption. They are about relationships, too – with each other, with the land, and with living systems.
Food Systems and Design Reader: This reading list is for students on the summer course I run together with Konstfack, in Sweden. These texts span new ways to think about food and food systems - how to be, as well as what to do, in a food context.
Although we've allowed the metabolic interaction between man and the earth to wither, educators are working on a cure.
Do you simply love iPhones, wind turbines, cloud computing, and electric cars? Good, because the following may be of interest:
A big part of social innovation involves connecting people with each other in ways that are inclusive, uncomplicated, inexpensive, and joyful.
Health and wellbeing are properties of social-ecological systems - so how you design in those?
Including a physicist, a mathematician, an actuary, an ecologist, a stoic, and a Druid.
From fish smokers to button makers - there's so much to do.
How to develop a shared vision among multiple stakeholders - and the other capabilities we need.
So you want to do good? Here's how to avoid the sloppy assumptions that can underly 'design for development'.
Rules that would prevent us from over-harvesting the Commons.
When and how to choose between ownership, stewardship, and partnership.
What is a 'living system'? Here are 20 elements of a green infrastructure.
127 calories of energy are used to grow a lettuce for each calory we eat. One bottle of ketchup entails 52 transport and process stages. Does that sound sensible?
"We will deliver value to people — not deliver people to systems" - and 17 other easily followed rules
"Don't think 'new product' - think social and ecological value". Plus nine other rules.
Why we need Ecological Law and what it would contain
What human cultural needs have stood the test of time?
Exhibits and competitions should be a means to an end, not the end itself. What would be a worthwhile end?
Allow one hour of preparation for every minute you will be on stage - plus other easy-to-follow rules.
The Transition movement prefers 'steps' to 'plans'. Here are 12.
From alternative technology in Wales, to Gaia Studies in Norway
From Agroecology training In Africa to social ecology in Australia
From Bioregional Planning in Idaho, to permaculture in Brazil
The words we use often shape the ways we look at the world - and hence, the actions we take. Here are some hard words and their soft alternatives.
The money system we have now is ecocidal - but people are designing alternatives.
From potlucks, to time-share: 35 different platforms that probably need to be designed for your locality.
Biennials should connect people to a place, and help them learn from that experience
We take these artefacts for granted - but they'd soon become scarce if our globally-connected economy were to unravel.
From Theatre Anthropology, to Stone Age Economics
It's 2020, and a degree-awarding ceremony is about to take place at Doors of Perception University.
JOHNTHACKARA designing for life
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